Sewer spill closes shellfish harvesting in South Carolina

State shellfish sanitation manager Mike Pearson tells news outlets in a Wednesday statement the leak in North Charleston has shut down oyster and clam beds around the city. Pearson says harvesting in the Charleston Harbor area will reopen when water quality data indicate bacteria levels are safe.

North Charleston Sewer District spokesman Jarred Jones tells The Post and Courier the leak is estimated to be spilling 200,000 gallons (800,000 liters) per day since Nov. 1. He says a contractor is repairing the breach on a 40-year-old line near the Ashley River.

Another spill in February led officials to order a recall of oysters after roughly 2.4 million gallons (9 million liters) of sewage flowed into the area.